Halosilane-protein crosslink as ruminant feed material

ABSTRACT

Improved protein feed material for ruminants which is resistant to digestive breakdown in the rumen but not in the abomasum and/or intestines which comprises the reaction product of a protein-containing feed material and a halosilane. Exemplary of such halosilanes is trimethyl chlorosilane.

Wmte States atent 1191 Miller [451 Apr. 1Q, 1973 HALOSILANE-PROTEHN CROSSLDIK [56] References Cited AS RUMINANT FEED MATERIAL UNITED STATES PATENTS l E. B [7.5] mentor Robert Miller anwm Mo 3,595,670 7/1971 Maloney et a1........ ....99/33 [73] Assignee: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo. 3,619,200 11/1971 Ferguson ..99/2 G 3,279,996 10/1966 Long ..424/19 [22] Filed: Oct. 27, 1970 Primary ExaminerNorman Yudkoff [21] Appl' 84513 Assistant Examiner-Hiram H. Bernstein Attorney-Lynden N. Goodwin, Neal E. Willis and 52 us. (:1 ..424/177, 99/2 ND, 99/14, James wlnlams 260/123.5, 424/184 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int, Cl. ..A27k 1/00 Improved protein feed material for ruminants which is [58] Field of Search ..99/2, 19, 17, 18, resistant to digestive breakdown in the rumen but not in the abomasum and/0r intestines whichcomprises the reaction product of a protein-containing feed material and a halosilane. Exemplary of such halosilanes is trimethyl chlorosilane.

4 Claims, No Drawings I-IALOSILANE-PROTEIN CROSSLINK AS RUMINANT FEED MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION sistant to digestive attack in the fluid medium of the rumen.

2. Description of the Prior Art The digestive system of the ruminant animal (cattle, sheep, bison, camels, etc.) is designed to permit efficient use of coarse, fibrous foodstuffs. Because of its particular structure and nature, however, the ruminants digestive system is inefficient in obtaining nutritional value from protein materials. Principally for this reason it is common practice in ruminant nutrition to supplement the diet of the animal with added protein. The supplemental protein serves to increase the rate of growth of the animal and in the case of sheep promotes wool growth.

The rumen; the largest of the four stomach compartments of the animal, serves as an important location for digestive breakdown of ingested foodstuffs chiefly through the action of microorganisms present therein. However, absorption of most nutrients for metabolic purposes does not occur in the rumen but takes place the microorganisms and by the rumen fluid. Much ingested protein material is broken down in the rumen to soluble peptides and amino acids. In turn much of these peptides and amino acids are utilized by the microorganisms present in the rumen fluid thereby removing them as a source of nutrition for the host animal.

'must be resistant to digestive breakdown in the rumen fluid, which is a fluid buffered at about pH6-7 by phosphate-bicarbonate from saliva and carbon dioxide, but subject to breakdown in the acid medium of the fluid of the abomasum which has a pH, due principally to hydrochloric acid secretion, of about 2-4.

OBJECTS It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for improving the feed utilization of ruminant animals.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for improving the protein utilization of ruminant animals whereby protein passes through the rumen without substantial digestive breakdown.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the specification and appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been found in accordance with the present invention that the protein utilization of the ruminant animal is improved by feeding the animal a reaction product of a protein-containing nutrient material and a halosilane.

The amount of halosilane in the reaction product is sufficient to prevent substantial digestive breakdown in the fluid medium of the rumen but insufficient to prevent digestive breakdown in the fluid media of the abomasum and of the intestines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The protein-containing reaction product used in the method of the present invention is the reaction product of a protein-containing nutrient feed material and a halosilane. Suitable halosilanes useful in the method of the present invention are represented by the following general formula wherein R is halo or alkyl (preferably one to 18 carbon atoms), R is alkyl (preferably one to 18 carbon atoms), aryl or hydrogen and X is a halogen radical, for example, chloro, bromo, or iodo. Suitable halosilanes include trimethyl chlorosilane, octadecyl trichlorosilane, vinyl trichlorosilane, phenyl trichlorosilane, methyl dichlorosilane, dimethyl dichlorosilane, trimethyl bromosilane, trimethyl iodosilane, etc. Because of the excellent results obtained therewith and because of their ready availability chlorosilanes are generally preferred for use in the process of the present invention.

The protein-containing nutrient material can be from any suitable source including animal, plant, or synthetic sources such as, for example, silage, grains, nuts, chaffs, casein, soy bean meal, fish meal, peanut meal, beef scraps, pork scraps, linseed meal, milk solids, etc.

The useful reactionproducts of the present invention are prepared by the interaction of a halosilane and protein nutrient material by any suitable procedure. The reaction is readily carried out in a suitable solvent medium inert to the reactants and the reaction products. Such suitable inert solvents include nonpolar organic solvents such as hexane, pentane, petroleum ether, dioxane, benzene, and the like. The reaction may be carried out at any suitable temperature; however, elevated temperatures above about C particularly for extended periods should beavoided to minimize degradation of protein material. Temperatures in the range of from about 10 to about 40 C are typically employed with room temperature being both suitable and practical. The reaction is preferably carried out simply by forming a slurry of the reactants in the solvent medium and agitating, as by stirring, the slurry thereby to permit sufficient reaction of the protein with the halosilane. The thus treated protein is then filtered, washed with water and dried as by oven drying, drum drying, or simple evaporation to recover the modified protein nutrient material. While not being limited to any particular theory it is believed that the halosilane serves to crosslink the protein to form a complex which is stable under the pH conditions of the rumen but unstable under the conditions of the abomasum and intestines, the crosslinks being formed in the terminal aamino groups of various peptides or in the e-amino group of lysine or between the amide groups of asparagine and glutamine or between the guanidyl groups of arginine or between any combination of these or other suitable groups available for crosslinking.

' It is important in order to insure operability of the present invention that the amount of halosilane incorporated into the protein be sufficient to prevent digestive breakdown to soluble peptides and amino acids in the rumen but insufflcient to prevent digestive breakdown to soluble peptides and amino acids in the abomasum and intestines. This amount will, of course, vary and will depend among other things on the particular protein material, the particular halosilane of choice, the pH of the solvent of reaction, time and temperature of reaction, the species and age of the animal, and the total makeup of the animal diet. Typically an amount in the range of from about 0.0001 to about 0.004 mole of halosilane for each gram of protein contained in the protein material is employed with amounts in the range of from about 0.0007 to about 0.0025 mole being generally preferred.

It is to be understood that the modified ruminant protein feed of the present invention can be fed separately to the animal or it can be used for incorporation in other ruminant feed materials. Illustrative of ruminant feed materials in which the protein material of the present invention may be incorporated are soy bean meal, ground corn, hay, straw, cotton seed hulls, cotton mill waste, feed pulp, silage, oats, barley, cereal, brans, cereal middlings and combinations thereof. If desired other components, for example, minerals, such as bone meal, salt, and trace minerals, antibiotics and vitamins may be included in the animal feed ration.

The following examples illustrate the effectiveness of halosilane compositions useful in the present invention in protecting protein-containing material from digestion in the fluid of the rumen while permitting digestion in the fluids of the abomasum and intestines. The small scale in vitro experiments shown in the examples simulate conditions existing in the rumen, in the abomasum and in the intestines thereby permitting the study of treated protein without the use of the live animal and large quantities of feed materials. It is understood that the examples are presented for the purpose of illustration only and the invention is not limited to the compositions or methods shown therein.

EXAMPLE 1 product was then filtered, washed and vacuum dried to 6 obtain protein product containing 0.0015 mole of trimethyl chlorosilane per gram of casein. Rumen Digestion Test To 10 milliliters of rumen fluid from fasted sheep contained in a 50 milliliter glass flask was added 10 milliliters of a buffered solution of the following composition.

The resulting mixture was adjusted to pH6.8 (4N HCl). To the buffered rumen fluid was added 100 milligrams of the trimethyl chlorosilane treated protein prepared above. The flask was then purged with nitrogen, stoppered (pressure release valve) and heated at 38 C on a water shaker bath. Protection of protein from digestion was determined by ammonia production with a lower amount of ammonia production indicating a lower amount of digestion of protein.

Ammonia production was determined after 6 hours and after 24 hours with results being presented in Table l. Abomasum Digestion Test Gastric fluid was prepared as follows: NaCl (2 grams) was dissolved in sufficient water to give a total volume of 950 milliliters. Pepsin (3.2 grams) was added thereto. Concentrated hydrochloric acid (7 milliliters) was added to the resulting medium and the pH of the medium was then adjusted to 2.0 with aqueous sodium hydroxide.

To a glass flask containing 20 milliliters of the gastric fluid were added 60 milligrams of trimethyl chlorosilane treated casein prepared above. The glass flask containing the resulting mixture was stoppered with pressure release valves and heated at 38 C on a water shaker bath for 2 hours. Digestion of protein was then determined by ammonia analysis, the greater amount of ammonia produced the greater the amount of protein digested. The results are given in Table l. intestine Digestion Test Intestinal fluid was prepared as follows: NaCl (2 grams) was dissolved in sufficient water to give a total volume of 950 milliliters. Pepsin (3.2 grams) was added thereto. Concentrated hydrochloric acid (7 milliliters) O was added to the medium and the pH of the medium was then adjusted to 7.0 with 0.1 N sodium hydroxide. Pancreatin (10 milligrams per milliliter of medium) was added to the resulting medium.

To a glass flask containing 20 milliliters of the intestinal fluid were added milligrams of trimethyl chlorosilane treated casein prepared above. The glass flask was stoppered with pressure release valves and heated at 38 C on a water shaker bath, for the prescribed period of time. Digestion of protein was determined by ammonia analysis, the greater amount of ammonia produced the greater amount of protein digested. The results are given in Table 1.

EXAMPLES 2-9 Following the general procedures and tests of Example 1 halosilane treated casein samples were prepared and tested. The results are given in Table 1.

In the same manner other protein-containing materials may be reacted with halosilanes to protect the protein material from digestive breakdown in the rumen while permitting its digestion in the abomasum.

EXAMPLE l0 Phenyl trichlorosilane treated casein containing 0.003 mole phenyl trichlorosilane per gram of proetin is resistant to digestion in the rumen but is readily digested in the abomasum.

EXAMPLE 1 1 meal, fish meal, peanut meal, beef scraps, pork scraps, linseed meal, and milk solids and a halosilane of the formula I wherein R represents a radical selected from the group consisting of halogen and alkyl having one to 18 carbon atoms, wherein R represents an alkyl radical having one to 18 carbon atoms and wherein X represents a halogen radical to crosslmk the protein, the amount of halosilane in said reaction product being in the range of from about 0.0001 to about 0.004 mole per gram of protein, said amount being sufficient to render said feed material resistant to digestive breakdown in the fluid of the rumen but insufficient to prevent substantial digestive breakdown in the fluids of the abomasum and of the intestines.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the halosilane is a chlorosilane.

TABLE 1 Percent total protvin digested Ammonia N Ammonia N Moles rumen Ammonia N intestine Example halosilane] :ihonnisum, Number Halosilane gram casein 6 hrs. 24 hrs. 2 hrs. 4 hrs. 20 hrs.

1 Trimethyl chlorosilane 0.0015 40. 6 11 0G 94 100 *Due at least in part to decomposition of rumen microorganisms.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the chlorosilane is trimethyl chlorosilane.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of halosilane is in the range of from about 0.0007 to about 0.0025 mole per gram of protein. 

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the halosilane is a chlorosilane.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the chlorosilaNe is trimethyl chlorosilane.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of halosilane is in the range of from about 0.0007 to about 0.0025 mole per gram of protein. 